Summer in Park City, UT

Because we're busy building up our Race Day Timing business, we didn't take our usual all-summer-long RV trip. Instead, we made our base at the Park City RV Resort, and traveled to timing events from there. Better than dealing with the sweltering heat of St. George all summer...

In our free time we enjoyed the incredible cycling in around the Park City area, both on and off road. Here are some of my favorite pics:

Mid-Mountain Trail overlooking Park City. This trail is about 25 miles of singletrack starting in Deer Valley and ending near The Canyons.
Part of the bike path that starts at the bottom of Provo Canyon. We rode this on the way back to Deer Creek Reservoir after riding the Alpine Loop.
Waiting for the bus in Park City to take us to Silver Lake Lodge in Deer Valley.
The moose we saw at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon (a 15 mile climb from Salt Lake area to Brighton ski resort.
Funky lawn art in Snyderville, UT off a little dirt path on the way back from the Mid-Mountain trail.
Our friend, Brook, from St. George, joined us for some fun on the Mid-Mountain Trail. Yep, it's definitely our favorite trail - and we've ridden it a LOT this summer!
Brian and our friend, Martin, from So Cal, riding the Mid-Mountain Trail.
The top of the Alpine Loop, which we rode from the Sundance Side. Over 3,000' of climbing in just under 9 miles.
Bridal Veil Falls. A view from the bike path in Provo Canyon. Awesome!
One of the many, uh... interesting, sites along the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway which runs between Kamas, UT and Evanstan, WY. We didn't ride all the way to Evanston, but we had a great day anyway!

On The Job - Summer 2011

Here are some shots from a few of our Race Day Timing events this summer:

Sun Valley Half Marathon, Sun Valley, ID
Utah Valley Marathon, Provo, UT
Typical hotel room the night before a race...
Freedom Half Marathon, Salt Lake City, UT
Star Valley Half Marathon, Star Valley, WY
Crusher in the Tushar, Beaver, UT - This is legendary mountain bike racer, Tinker Juarez, crossing the finish line!
Crankworx Enduro, Whistler, BC
Legendary mountain bike racer, Brian Lopes, just before the start of the Crankworx Enduro race.
Awesome media room at the Kokanee Crankworx in Whistler, BC, Canada.

The Few Extra Pounds I Got For Christmas!

In spite of the miles and miles we train on our bikes; and the centuries and double centuries we tackle every year - many of us struggle with the five, or ten, or more, extra pounds that seem to hang on despite all efforts, or slowly accumulate over the years because we're not paying attention. Two pounds here, two pounds there... and all of a sudden we can't fit into our skinny jeans anymore. If you're in the same boat as I am, then you might be entertained by my other blog, Fighting the Fluff - which is my honest and sometimes silly rant about my often lack of self control when it comes to food, and my ever present battle with the bulge. It might be a small bulge, but it's a huge challenge nonetheless...

Join me in the battle!

Snowshoeing Fun!

New Year's Day: Zion National Park! Awesome! What a way to start the year!








As if yesterday wasn't exhausting enough (for those of you who've never hiked in snowshoes, it feels like twice the work as regular hiking), we trekked out to Pine Valley, UT (about an hour from our house) to enjoy the snow and make some new friends!

Thunder Mountain - Red Canyon, UT

We heard great things about this trail, which is in Red Canyon, just outside of Bryce. There's no mountain biking in the National Park - so we heard this was the next best thing.

The views were spectacular - but the trail was very poorly maintained. Lots of ruts and washouts. Lots of hike-a-bike. Very challenging. 15.7 miles with about 2,000' of climbing.

Alpine Loop Scenic Byway, UT

Definitely the best cycling adventure of the summer. Not only a great workout at 64 miles with 5720' of climbing; but incredible scenery, an unexpected moose encounter, and wacky weather.







We started late to avoid the morning thunderstorms. The afternoon forecast was "sunny and clear - chance of precipitation, 10%." Uh... these certainly aren't sunny skies; but we'd only gotten sprinkled on a tiny bit so far. Our luck would run out soon...
At least I was off the mountain when the skies opened up and poured down rain and pea-sized hail...
Soaking wet, I took shelter in this car port for 1/2 an hour or so. While I was there, Brian called me from a ranger station on the mountain. (He'd done some bonus miles and wound up behind me.) The nice rangers gave him towels to dry off and blankets to stay warm.
When the sun came out, I hit the road. I had a monstrous headwind and could only manage 7 to 8 in the flats. It was pretty scary once I hit Provo Canyon; and once again rain threatened. I pulled off the main highway to look for shelter, and came upon the beautiful Bridal Veil Falls.
Brian called to say he made it down the hill but that it was pouring again. He took shelter in the Harmon's grocery store; where ultimately I picked him up after riding the last 9 or so miles soaking wet in the rain with thunder and lightning all around me. EPIC. EPIC. EPIC. But boy was I happy to get to the van at Deer Creek State Park! What a day!